Chapter 207: Opening a Solo Show

By now, over ninety percent of the soldiers and trainees on site had fainted and fallen to the ground, a consequence of the Taotie's recent arrival.

The sudden appearance of so many Northern Jin powerhouses instinctively put the leaders of the other factions on alert.

"Hahahaha! I can't believe Sir Xu Yang has had such a fortunate encounter, gaining the acknowledgment of the Grand Dao. Given time, the awakening of his Dao Heart should be imminent! What a pity that such a master is allied with a worthless faction like the Yuanyang Empire."

The speaker was none other than Emperor Tuoba Yun of the Northern Jin Empire. Accompanied by a large group of masters, he slowly advanced towards Xu Yang's side, evidently intending to stir up trouble.

"Tuoba Yun, what are you doing? This is the Thousand Cloud Sect; how dare you act so brazenly?"

Meanwhile, over a dozen elders from the Thousand Cloud Sect, led by Qianyun Liefeng, ascended from the back mountain. But it was clear to everyone that these old veterans, having resisted the Taotie, were now severely depleted of their vital energy and inner reserves, and would require extensive rest to recover. However, the current situation did not allow them to rest!

"Sect Master Qianyun," Tuoba Yun challenged, "the ancient beast Taotie appeared specifically for this whisk. Such a heaven-defying treasure—are you still planning to give it away?"

Facing Tuoba Yun's accusation, Qianyun Liefeng replied coldly, "What do you mean by this, Your Majesty? Our Thousand Cloud Sect has always stood by its word. Moreover, this whisk shone brightly in the hands of this fellow cultivator, clearly indicating a destined connection with him. Our Thousand Cloud Sect is willing to facilitate this good fortune. Besides, he is the champion of this competition, and is rightfully deserving of this honor."

Tuoba Yun nodded with a faint, enigmatic smile. "It seems you, like the Empress, are intent on siding with the Yuanyang Empire?"

"Tuoba Yun, you've secretly assembled so many masters on this mountain; your intentions are likely clear. Whatever grievances you have with the Yuanyang Empire are none of our concern, but at the very least, wait until you've left the Thousand Cloud Sect to act. As long as they are still on this mountain, we will not tolerate your insolence!"

The speaker was an unfamiliar face who had emerged from the direction of Solus Academy: a relatively short, mustached middle-aged man. His unexpected support even surprised Xu Yang, who couldn't quite understand it.

"Hmph, a bunch of weaklings," Tuoba Yun sneered. "Since you insist on opposing our Northern Jin Alliance, then fine, I'll make sure your Thousand Cloud Sect understands that the Northern Jin are not to be trifled with!"

"How dare you!"

Qianyun Liefeng was enraged and about to make a move when he suddenly staggered, clutching his chest, and violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He wasn't the only one; in quick succession, nine of the Thousand Cloud Sect's ten Grand Elders also vomited large gouts of blood, suffering severe injuries!

"Sect Master Brother," a voice said, "you're tired as well. Please rest. I'll handle things here."

"Mingyangzi, you!"

All the elders suddenly understood. It was Eighth Elder Mingyangzi, who, while setting up the formation in the back mountain, had injected a chilling, body-permeating poison into the meridians of Qianyun Liefeng and the others. This Mingyangzi had been bribed by Northern Jin over a year ago and had been waiting for this very day.

"Hahahaha! What good is the Thousand Cloud Sect?" Tuoba Yun roared. "After today, the ten most powerful inheritances across the Three Thousand Dao Provinces will all submit to the Northern Jin! Attack!!"

At Tuoba Yun's command, hundreds of Nascent Soul realm experts behind him simultaneously spread out and charged towards Xu Yang and his group.

It should be noted that these Northern Jin powerhouses, hastily assembled by Feng Qingyao, only appeared after the Taotie had receded. They were all in their peak condition. On the side of the Ten Great Powers, the Xuanyuan Empire had suddenly defected, joining forces with Northern Jin to enter the enemy camp. Of the remaining five great sects, only Solus Academy retained some fighting strength. The other four factions, being relatively closer to the Taotie, had suffered greater pressure.

As a result, having lost the protection of the Thousand Cloud Sect's elder-level powerhouses, the situation on the scene became completely one-sided.

"Little Serpent, quickly take His Majesty and leave!"

Xu Yang reacted immediately. His true form as a Dragon Python appeared, soaring into the sky, and swiftly vanished into the void with Yuan Haotian on his back.

As for the thousand Ancient Desolate soldiers who had accompanied them, they had already been moved into his small world when the Taotie's pressure descended.

With Yuan Haotian gone, Xu Yang's group consisted only of himself, alone and unfettered. With no further encumbrances, he was now free to fight without restraint.

However, Xu Yang was extremely weak at this moment and remained seated, recovering his spiritual energy as quickly as possible.

"Damn it! You two, go after them! The rest of you, charge!"

"Kill!!"

At the summit of the Thousand Cloud Sect, the center of the vast battlefield had descended into chaos.

The Northern Jin forces attacked ferociously. The surviving forces who had not been knocked unconscious faced unimaginable destructive pressure.

Soon, six or seven powerhouses targeted the Empress and charged towards her.

Although the Empress possessed powerful spiritual energy, she had just expended considerable combat strength to help Xu Yang. Now, facing seven Nascent Soul realm masters alone, she quickly showed a significant decline in her power.

"Such a beautiful woman, what a pity she won't join our Northern Jin!"

The leading Nascent Soul realm expert's murderous intent was palpable. A cold blade of energy shot from his palm, locking onto the Empress's body.

Xue Qinghan furrowed her brow. Even at the brink of death, her unique poise as the Empress remained undisturbed.

At this critical moment, Xu Yang sent a soul transmission into the Empress's mind. At the same instant, her body was enveloped by a golden light of the Dao, and the fierce sword energy instantly halted before her.

Whoosh!

The next moment, Xu Yang, like a phantom, surged forward with imperceptible speed, instantly slaying the high-level Nascent Soul realm expert in front of everyone.

Perhaps his movement technique was too astonishing, or the opponent's death too gruesome, but most of the gazes on the battlefield were forcibly drawn to Xu Yang at that moment.

"Since you insist on pushing your luck," Xu Yang declared, "I, Xu Yang, will play with you properly today. Fellow cultivators from various forces, step back. Leave these ignorant Northern Jin fools to me."

As Xu Yang spoke, a rich aura of Dao dissipated from within him, spreading outwards. With each step he took, the sensation of this Dao aura became clearer.

The Empress behind him was greatly astonished at the sight. She clearly felt that the power of the Dao emanating from Xu Yang was much stronger than before he had touched the whisk! What truly shocked her was that after enduring the Taotie's destructive pressure, he could still unleash such combat power.

With a wave of his hand, Xu Yang's perfect, azure-blue demonic artifact appeared before their eyes.

"Oh my god, that's..."

The mustached elder from Solus Academy, standing beside the Empress, exclaimed in shock, "If I'm not mistaken, that's the legendary demonic artifact—Eternity!" This revelation once again delivered a profound shock to Xue Qinghan.

"What did you say? A demonic artifact? That's impossible!" Xue Qinghan gasped. "How could a human possibly wield demonic power? And possess such a legendary artifact? It's unbelievable!"